"I've never seen the town square this full so early in the morning," I said, leaning against the wooden counter of stall fourteen.
The carriage ride had been short, but the moment we stepped out, the cold winter air was alive with music, laughter, and the smell of roasting nuts. The festival grounds looked exactly like a scene straight out of one of those fantasy storybooks Pearl loved to read. Huge ice statues of mythical frost beasts stood along the pathways, glowing with a soft blue magic light. Floating ice-lanterns drifted slowly through the air, bobbing over the heads of the growing crowds. Above us, colorful flags danced in the wind.
"It's perfect!" Pearl cheered, hanging a string of glowing winter-berries along the front of our wooden roof. "The square looks amazing. We are going to sell everything in no time, Amara."
